Tag: writing time

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what's lit

After-Hours Writer? How to Squeeze Creativity Post-Workday

When it comes to New Year’s resolutions, writers may have added finding more time to write as a priority for 2020. The 9-5 workday is a myth, especially when most people return home from work five days a week where the stress sits in: traffic-heavy commute, picking up family from their activities, cooking a meal, eating that meal, cleaning up that meal, then perhaps getting a break via your Netflix account.

Time management is hard, but you can spend January trying to build your new and improved writing habit.

Pick an hour slot.

At a Women’s National Book Association Los Angeles literary tea last spring, The Ones We Choose debut author Julie Clark said she wakes up at 3:45 am every morning to write before heading out to work as a teacher. A single mother of two, she also added she’s in bed between 8-9 pm.

In Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder, Arianna Huffington mentions the “time famine,” or how we feel like we never have enough time to complete all the tasks we set aside for ourselves to do that day. Slowing down is key, she describes in the chapter called “Wisdom,” to survey what needs to be done.

Taking measured time for yourself can help you slow down and see which creative project can be tackled for the day.

“Our culture is obsessed with with time. It is our personal deficit crisis. We always think we’re saving time, and yet we feel like we never have enough of it.” – Arianna Huffington, Thrive

Or pick a word count.

According to writer’s lore, 1,000 words a day is the remedy to completing a draft of your novel. Yet it might still be hard to stick to that word count depending on your schedule and creative juice flow. So set your word goal. Like above with timing yourself, see how many words you can write within a measured amount of time. If you can write 1,000 words in an hour, then maybe try writing 500 words in a half hour because that’s all you can reserve for yourself.

Or pick a focus space.

You may need to find a base, an inspirational place that’s easily accessible. Surrounded by books at the library. Surrounded by plants in the garden. Laying on the blanket at the local park. Sitting up in bed under the blankets.

If you’re unable to sneak away, then work with what you got. Maybe the cafe near your workplace has turned out to be a great place to write. Maybe an ergonomic chair is answer to improving your comfort level while you’re writing.

Comment below if you’re trying to find the right time and place to write and if you’ve reached success.

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what's lit

Invest in Yourself: Writing Retreats

A lot of writing retreats sponsored by nonprofits, well-known authors, and other organizations can be very competitive with a college-level application process with three references, two personal statements, resumes, and, of course, the application fee that could be $10 and up.

If you win a spot in a writing retreat program, then you have to cough up money for airfare, lodging, or food, or all combined, if you didn’t win the scholarship, too.

So why not create your own retreat? On your own time? And write and edit your story to later query literary agents for free.

Retreats can help you dedicate yourself entirely to your creative work with getting away from all the other distractions at home. Comment if you’re thinking about doing your own writing retreat or have already done it and your experience.

Set aside $50-$500

You don’t want to spend a lot of money because you may want to save that for an island getaway or your bills. But you can keep the trip at a low cost through vacation rental apps such as Airbnb. Staying close to home via an inexpensive, quaint rental may do the trick to spark your writing plan. A peaceful place within a short driving distance from your home will cut down on transportation costs.

Go somewhere familiar

I decided to create my own writing retreat in Twentynine Palms, California outside Joshua Tree in the Mojave Desert area. I had already visited Joshua Tree National Park and the other local delights twice within the last two years, so I didn’t have a desire to explore the area because it was familiar.

So then I had more time to visit time-restrictive spots like the Noah Purifoy Outdoor Desert Art Museum and the Oasis of Mara. Both places I spent an hour each on a Saturday and Sunday because they’re popular tourist spots that are small enough to enjoy in a short amount of time. The rest of those two days were dedicated to writing and story planning at my Airbnb.

Manage writing time

Now, you made the reservation, gassed the car or bought the train ticket. You’re on your way. Ideally, you have a weekend. Two days, maybe three. Again, writing for an entire day may be difficult, unless you’re doing different exercises to stay fresh and focused.

If your eyes begin to glaze over the laptop screen or the writing pad, then move around and brainstorm ideas aloud. Here are some ways to unblock writer’s block:

  • Write outside of your rental, which will hopefully have a spot where you can work comfortably in nature under a tree and among plants and flowers
  • Venture out in the community with buying any necessities like a forgotten tube of toothpaste from a store. Seeing how the community you’re in operates may drum up some ideas for your own settings and characters
  • Use a timer to stay on track with your writing and planning, so you can keep on target, e.g. spending two straight hours writing then maybe one hour shopping and visiting those time-restrictive spots

I wanted to do a writing retreat for a long time, but as an aspiring writer I kept receiving information to apply for this retreat or that retreat. But the costs added up unless I also received a scholarship. The application process needed recommendation letters, which was a turn-off because I had to do that for college and grad school and those were heavier endeavors. Then the days chosen for a particular retreat wouldn’t work with my day job schedule or the number of days wouldn’t fit into my vacation request. Or if I applied, I would be rejected because there was only room for a select few.

A weekend writing retreat worked for me, and maybe creating your own retreats will work on your time and dime.

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what's lit

Best-selling Author Ann Patchett Breathes Digital Detox Lifestyle: Could It Help Your Literary Goals?

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Award-winning novelist and indie bookstore owner Ann Patchett is on a media tour for her first children’s book Lambslide, but when she stopped at ABC’s Strahan & Sara, she described her lifestyle—a lifestyle that might benefit other writers and readers.

On Thursday’s telecast, host Michael Strahan posed the question of the day for the show’s guests and audience in the studio and at home: “Have you ever looked at social media and it’s made you jealous of something or what someone else doing or having?”

Gleaming, Ann—whose best-selling novels include Commonwealth and State of Wonder—seemed like she couldn’t wait to answer the question.

“I’m so glad you asked me this question because I have never once in my life looked at social media. I don’t have a cellphone. I’ve never sent a text. I don’t watch television. I’ve never seen this show.”

What? Though it’s a good idea to watch a TV show you will be on to promote your work, it’s so astonishing that someone well-known doesn’t have a smartphone or social media that Ann added she felt like she was surrounded by smartphone-addicted zombies when in public. Then Michael called her a “unicorn.” A segment for a book with the mention of zombies and unicorns is literary in nature. It even ended with Ann inviting Michael to sell his book, Wake Up Happy: The Dream Big, Win Big Guide to Transforming Your Life, at her indie bookstore, Nashville’s Parnassus Books. Authors supporting authors with guaranteed book sales.

A digital detox is defined as a period of time during which a person refrains from using electronic devices such as smartphones or computers, regarded as an opportunity to reduce stress or focus on social interaction in the physical world. Ann probably uses a computer for writing her novels and submitting them via email and cloud programs to her publisher, but living the partial digital detox life may spark creativity simply based on the time take-back component.

The average American dedicates 30% of leisure time to perusing the web, according to Digital Detox, while 67% of cellphone owners find themselves checking their device even when it’s not ringing or vibrating. The access to this information is deriving from a website, but that’s another philosophical conversation. (What are other ways to get publicity without a digital screen? By pigeon? Or snail mail the press release and pamphlets? Then that contributes to our paper overconsumption…)

How would time away from constant digital consumption affect your writing and reading goals?